Coaxial Shafts for Radial Positioning of Rotating Magnetron

ABSTRACT

A magnetron actuator for moving a magnetron in a nearly arbitrary radial and azimuthal path in the back of a target in a plasma sputter reactor. The magnetron includes two coaxial rotary shafts extending along the chamber central axis and coupled to two independently controllable rotary actuators. An epicyclic gear mechanism or a frog-leg structure mechanically couple the shafts to the magnetron to control its radial and azimuthal position. A vertical actuator moves the shafts vertically in tandem to vary the magnetron&#39;s separation from the target&#39;s back surface and compensate for erosion of the front surface. The rotary actuators may be separately coupled to the shafts or a rotatable ring gear may be coupled to the shafts through respectively fixed and orbiting idler gears. Two radially spaced sensors detect reflectors attached to the inner and outer arms of the epicyclic gear mechanism for homing of the controller.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims benefit of provisional application 60/910,537and is a continuation in part of Ser. No. 11/226,858, filed Sep. 14,2005, incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates generally to sputtering of materials. Inparticular, the invention relates to a magnetron rotating with variableradius.

BACKGROUND ART

Sputtering, alternatively called physical vapor deposition (PVD), haslong been used in depositing metals and related materials in thefabrication of semiconductor integrated circuits. Its use has beenextended to depositing metal layers onto the sidewalls of highaspect-ratio holes such as vias or other vertical interconnectstructures. Currently, advanced sputtering applications includedepositing a copper seed layer for later electroplating of copper in thevia and depositing a barrier layer, such as tantalum and its nitride, onthe dielectric material of the via sidewall to prevent the copper fromdiffusing into the dielectric.

Plasma sputtering typically includes a magnetron positioned at the backof the sputtering target to project a magnetic field into the processingspace to increase the density of the plasma and enhance the sputteringrate. Typically, the magnetron is rotated about the center of thecircular target to provide a more uniform erosion pattern of the targetand deposition profile on the circular wafer.

Sputtering into high aspect-ratio vias has prompted furthermodifications in the magnetron which promotes the ionization of a largefraction of the sputtered atoms. If the wafer is electrically biased,the sputtered ions are accelerated in nearly vertical trajectories toreach deeply within the vias. The ionization fraction of sputtered atomsis increased if the magnetron is relatively small so that the targetpower is effectively concentrated in a small fraction of the target areaadjacent the small magnetron. However, very small magnetrons rotatingabout a target center introduce two problems. For copper sputteringespecially, target utilization and radial deposition uniformity arereduced if the magnetron is rotating along a fairly narrow annular bandand promoting sputtering only within that band. For tantalum sputtering,it seems acceptable to sputter only the outer peripheral band of thetarget because the tantalum ions tend to diffuse toward the centerduring their passage to the wafer. However, some of the sputteredtantalum tends to redeposit on the target. In the unsputtered centralarea of the target, the redeposited tantalum, often in nitride form,forms a growing layer of poorly adhering material. Eventually, theredeposited material flakes off and create a significant particleproblem.

Miller et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,852,202 describe a planetary magnetronexecuting a regular epicyclic pattern at the back of the target, therebyincreasing the sputtering uniformity. An epicyclic pattern is obtainedwhich combines rotation of the magnetron about an axis that is itselfrotating about a central axis. In a regular epicyclic pattern the tworotation rates are constant such as the moon orbits the earth and theearth orbits the sun with two orbital periods with a constantproportionality between them. Typically, the rotation rates are constantover the entire active scan. On the other hand, a general epicyclicpattern can still be characterized as a two-stage rotation of themagnetron but the two orbital periods do not necessarily have a fixedratio.

Rosenstein et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,236 and Pavloff in patentapplication Ser. No. 11/553,880, filed Oct. 27, 2006 disclose magnetronswhich rotate at two different radii when rotated in opposite directions.This dual operation allows sputtering depositing on the wafer at onemagnetron radius and cleaning the target at a second magnetron radiuswhile the wafer is removed from the chamber. The required reversal ofrotation, however, is inconvenient. Gung et al. in U.S. patentapplication publication 2005/0211548 disclose a centrifugal mechanismfor switching between two rotation radii dependent upon the rotationspeed. Miller et al. in U.S. patent application publication 2006/007623,the parent application of this continuation in part and incorporatedherein by reference, disclose mechanisms for the continuous variabilityof the magnetron radius.

In U.S. patent application publication 2005/01333365, Hong et al. havedisclosed a mechanism for vertically moving a planetary magnetron tocompensate for target erosion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A magnetron for plasma sputtering is scanned in a radial andcircumferential or azimuthal path with respect to a central axis aboutthe back of a sputter target by two coaxial rotary shafts, eachcontrolled by an independent rotary drive source. The two shafts maymove the magnetron within a liquid-cooling reservoir at the back of thetarget. Motors driving the rotary shafts may be positioned outside thereservoir and be sealed on the reservoir wall by rotary seals.

In one embodiment, an epicyclic mechanism includes a sun gear fixed toone rotary shaft and inner arm fixed to the other rotary shaft andsupporting a follower gear mechanically coupled to the sun gear. A outerarm is fixed to the follower gear and includes a mount at one end forsupporting the magnetron.

In another embodiment, a frog-leg mechanism has two inner armsrespectively fixed to the two rotary shafts. Two outer arms arepivotally connected on inner ends to inner arms and are coupled togetherat their outer ends to support the mount for the magnetron.

In one embodiment, the shafts are coupled by belts or gears to rotaryoutputs of respective motors.

In another embodiment, one actuator rotates a ring gear having an innertoothed surface. At least one first idler gear, which may be fixed,couples the ring gear to one rotary shaft. At least one second gearmounted on a rotatable epicyclic carrier couples the ring gear to theother rotary shaft. The other actuator rotates the epicyclic carrierabout the common axis of the rotary shafts.

Advantageously, a vertical actuator moves both rotary shafts along thecommon axis. For example, the vertical actuator vertically moves a framesupporting the two actuators and the two rotary shafts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration partial sectioned and partially inelevation and orthographic view of a sputter chamber incorporating theinvention.

FIG. 2 is an orthographic view of a sputtering source assembly usablewith the sputter chamber of FIG. 1 and including two rotary and onevertical actuator controlling the position of a magnetron though anepicyclic mechanism.

FIG. 3 is a sectioned orthographic view of the source assembly of FIG.2.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the actuators and epicyclic mechanism of thesource assembly of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a map of a one scanning pattern achievable with the sourceassembly of FIG. 1 in units of millimeters from the target center.

FIG. 6 is a map of another scanning pattern.

FIG. 7 is a top view of a frog-leg mechanism which may be substitutedfor the epicyclic mechanism.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a control circuit for controlling andhoming an epicyclic mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a sectioned orthographic view of a ring-gear mechanism usablein controlling the radial and azimuthal scanning of a magnetron.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A sputter chamber 10 schematically illustrated in the cross-sectionalview of FIG. 1 includes a conventional main chamber 12 generallysymmetric around a central axis 14 and supporting a target 18 through anadapter 20 and an isolator 22. The target 18 may be formed from thematerial to be sputtered or may include a target tile facing theinterior of the chamber body 12 and bonded to a backing plate extendinglaterally over the isolator 22. The sputter chamber 10 also includes anepicyclic scan actuator 26 located in the back of the target 18 andincluding an inner rotary shaft 28 and a tubular outer rotary shaft 30,which are coaxial and are arranged about and extend along the centralaxis 14 and can rotate about it. A first motor 32 is coupled to theinner rotary shaft 28 by a drive gear 34 or other mechanical means suchas a belt wrapped around two pulleys to rotate it. A second motor 36 issimilarly coupled to the outer rotary shaft 30 through another drivegear 38 or mechanical means to rotate it independently of the rotationof the inner rotary shaft 28. The shafts 28, 30 are coupled to anepicyclic mechanism 40, two embodiments of which will be described indetail later, which supports a magnetron 42 through a mount 44 and scansit over the back of the target 18 in a nearly arbitrary pattern. Themagnetron 42 typically includes a magnetic yoke 46 supporting andmagnetically coupling an inner pole 48 of one magnetic polarity alongthe central axis 14 and an outer pole 50 of the opposed magneticpolarity and surrounding the inner pole 48.

Returning to the main chamber 12, a vacuum pump 60 pumps the interior ofthe main chamber 12 through a pumping port 62. A gas source 64 suppliesa sputter working gas, such as argon, into the chamber 12 through a massflow controller 66. If reactive sputtering is desired, for example, of ametal nitride, a reactive gas, such as nitrogen in the example, is alsosupplied.

A wafer 70 or other substrate is supported on a pedestal 72 configuredas an electrode in opposition to the target 18. A wafer clamp ring 74may be used to hold the wafer 70 to the pedestal 72 or to protect thepedestal periphery. However, many modern reactors use electrostaticchucks to hold the wafer 70 against the pedestal 72. An electricallygrounded shield 76 supported on the adapter 20 protects the chamberwalls and sides of the pedestal 72 from sputter deposition and also actsas an anode in the plasma discharge. The working gas enters the mainprocessing area through a gap 78 between the clamp ring 74 or pedestal72 and the shield 76. Other shield configurations may include anelectrically floating secondary shield inside the primary shield 76 andperforations through portions of the primary shield 76 protected by thesecondary shield to promote gas flow into the processing area.

A DC power supply 80 negatively biases the target 18 with respect to thegrounded shield 76 and causes the argon working gas to be excited anddischarge into a plasma. The magnetron 42 concentrates the plasma andcreates a high density plasma (HDP) region 82 underneath the magnetron42 inside the main chamber 12. The positively charged argon ions areattracted to the target 18 with sufficient energy to sputter the metalfrom the target 18. The sputtered metal deposits on and coats thesurface of the wafer 70. Preferably for deep hole filling, an RF powersupply 84 is connected to the pedestal electrode 72 through a capacitivecoupling circuit 86, which acts as a high-pass filter, to create anegative DC self bias on the wafer 70. The self bias is effective ataccelerating positive metal ions or possibly argon ions toward the wafer70 in perpendicular trajectories that more easily enter high-aspectholes. The self bias also imparts a high energy to the ions, which maybecontrolled to differentiate sputter deposition on the wafer 70 andsputter etching of the wafer 70. A computer-based controller 88 controlsthe vacuum pump 60, the argon mass flow controller 66, the powersupplies 80, 84 and the drive circuits for the magnetron motors 32, 36according to the desired sputtering conditions and scan patterns asinput to the controller 88 through a recordable medium such as a CDROMinserted into it.

In one embodiment of the invention, a sputter source assembly 100 isillustrated in the full orthographic view of FIG. 2 and the sectionedorthographic view of FIG. 3. The target 18 is supported on and vacuumsealed to the main vacuum chamber 12 of the sputter system 10 and isconnected to the DC power supply 80 for exciting the sputter plasma. Atleast the target's bottom face within the main vacuum chamber 12 iscomposed of the material to be sputtered, typically a metal, such ascopper for a metallization or a refractory metal such as tantalum for abarrier layer. The target layer may be bonded to a backing plate restingon the isolator 22 and exposed to the interior of the cooling reservoir.Other target materials are possible such as a contact metal such astitanium or tungsten or a magnetic material such as GeSbTe. A sputterworking gas such as argon is at least initially supplied into the vacuumchamber and, when excited into a plasma, its positively charged ionssputter the negatively biased target 18. The pedestal 72 within thevacuum chamber supports the wafer 70 to be sputter coated in oppositionto the target 18. A reservoir frame 104 is sealed to the target 18 butis electrically isolated from it. A lid 106 is sealed to the reservoirframe 104 and they together with the target 102 define a reservoir 108for a cooling liquid recirculated through the reservoir 108 from anexternal chiller to cool the target 18 during plasma sputtering.

The epicyclic mechanism 40 driven by the two rotary shafts 28, 30 scansthe magnetron 42 located within the reservoir 108 about the back of thetarget 102. The magnetron 42 projects a magnetic field into theprocessing space within the vacuum chamber 12 near the sputtering faceof the target 18 in order to intensify the sputtering plasma andincrease the sputter rate. If the magnetron 42 is small and magneticallystrong, it may produce a large fraction of ionized sputtered metal atomsuseful for deep hole filling and resputtering of the wafer. In somecases, the ionization fraction and density of the sputtered metal ionsare high enough that they form a plasma that may act as the sputteringplasma and the supply of the sputter working gas may be decreased orstopped in a process called self-sustained sputtering (SSS). Themagnetron 42 may be round or of other shape and include as previouslydescribed an inner pole of one vertical magnetic polarity surrounded byan outer pole of the other polarity and separated from it by an annulargap defining a plasma track adjacent the sputter face of the target 18.Typically, the outer pole and possibly the inner pole are composed ofmultiple cylindrical magnets. Preferably the outer pole 48 has a largertotal magnetic intensity than the opposed inner pole 46. The magnetron42 may be relatively small in order to concentrate target power near asmall area adjacent the magnetron 42 to thereby further increase thedensity of the plasma and hence increase the ionization fraction ofatoms sputtered from the target 18. The epicyclic mechanism 40 allowstwo rotary shafts 28, 30 to independently scan the small magnetron 42both azimuthally (circumferentially) and radially of the central axis 14of the target 18 and of the source assembly 100. Even rectangular andstar-shape scan patterns are possible. Additionally, other mechanismsallow vertical movement of the magnetron 42 to optimize the distancebetween the magnetron 42 and the back of the target 18, for example tocompensate for erosion of the front sputtering face of the target 18.The combination of separable control of rotation, radial positioning,and vertical position allows for universal magnet motion or UMM.

The epicyclic mechanism 40 illustrated in FIG. 3 is a planetary gearmechanism to be described in more detail here. The magnetron 42 isfixed, usually detachably by screws, to the mount 46 of FIG. 2 on oneend of an outer arm 116 fixed to a follower gear 118 and a counterweight120 is supported on the other end of the outer arm 116. The followergear 118 is rotatably supported on an inner arm 122 formed as a casingto rotatably mount and seal the gears within, and is coupled through anunillustrated idler gear also rotatably supported on the inner arm 122to a sun gear 126 concentric about the central axis 14. A counterweightmaybe attached to the inner arm 122 on an opposite side of the epicyclicmechanism 40 from central axis 14. The shafts of the follower gear 118,idler gear, and sun gear 126 in the illustrated embodiment are arrangedin a triangular configuration to save space. If at least the followerand sun gears 118, 126 have the same number of teeth, a unity gear ratiocauses the rotation rates of the sun gear 126 and the follower gear 118to be equal. Preferably all three gears have the same number of teeth tosimplify inventorying. It is noted that the idler gear is not requiredand the follower gear 118 may mesh directly with the sun gear 126. Onthe other hand, there may be more than one intermediate idler gear.Also, other epicyclic mechanisms may be possible.

The inner arm 122 is fixed to the tubular outer rotary shaft 30 of therotary drive mechanism 128 and the sun gear 126 is fixed to the an innerrotary shaft 28 disposed inside the outer shaft 30. Both rotary shafts28, 30 are separately rotatable and are concentric with the central axis14. This design differs from the planetary gear mechanism of U.S. Pat.No. 6,852,202 in which the inner shaft 28 and hence the sun gear 126 arenot rotatable. That planetary mechanism produces planetary motion of themagnetron 42 about the central axis 14, for example, similar to themotion of the moon about the sun. On the other hand, the generalepicyclic mechanism of this embodiment can cause the magnetron 42 tomove in more complicated patterns more generally defined as epicyclicmotion. In general epicyclic motion, the magnetron rotates in circularmotion about an offset rotation axis itself rotating in circular motionabout the central axis 14 and fixed rotation rates or synchronismbetween the two rotary movements is not assumed.

The rotary shafts 28, 30 form part of an actuator system 140 includingthe rotary drive mechanism 128. The actuator system 140 is supported ona derrick 142 supported on and extending above the reservoir lid 106. Avertical actuator 144 mounted on the top of the derrick 142 andincluding a motor 146, gear box 148, and worm drive 150 has an outputshaft 152 sliding through a vertical bushing 154 and connected to amoving frame 156. The vertical actuator 144 operates to vertically movethe rotary shafts 28, 30 rotatably supported in the vertically movableframe 156 in tandem along the central axis 14 to compensate for targeterosion and for other effects. The vertical movement required forcompensating target erosion is relatively small and no more than thethickness of a target tile bonded to a backing plate, for example, about2 cm or less. In some modes of operation, no compensation is made forerosion of less than 6 mm, but erosion of more than 6 mm benefits fromcompensation. A typical erosion limit in commercial operation is about17 mm.

The inner and outer rotary shafts 28, 30 are separately rotatablysupported within the moving frame 156 through rotary bearings. A framestub 158 of the moving frame 156 is sealed to an insert 160 in thereservoir lid 106 through a sliding seal 162 which prevents the coolingwater within the reservoir 108 from leaking out but allows the movingframe 156 to move vertically. The lower end of the outer rotary shaft 28is sealed to the frame stub 158 through a rotary seal 164 to preventleakage of the cooling water while allowing the outer rotary shaft 28 torotate. The inner rotary shaft 30 rotates within a sealed water-freeregion. Its primary seal is a dynamic seal between the casing of theinner arm 122 and the output shaft of the follower gear 118 supportingand rotating the outer arm 116. However, a backup seal is located at thetop of the inner rotary shaft 30 just below its support bearing.

An upper input pulley 166 is fixed to the inner rotary shaft 30 and alower input pulley 172 is fixed to the outer rotary shaft 28. Bothpulleys 170, 172 are concentric with the central axis 14, have ribbed ortoothed surfaces to engage with unillustrated ribbed belts engaged withribbed output pulleys 174, 176 of two rotary actuators 178, 180 (seeFIG. 2) including respective motors 182, 184 and gearboxes 186, 188 allsupported on the frame 156. The motors 182, 184 are preferably servomotors which enable synchronized movement of the two rotary shafts 28,30. However, the motors 182, 184 maybe driven by separate, nearlyarbitrary drive signals so that they can be moved independently ifdesired. As illustrated in FIG. 2 and the top plan view of FIG. 4, therotary actuators 178, 180 are supported on a motor carriage 190 fixed tothe moving frame 156 but are guided by vertical guide rods 192, 194fixed to the derrick 142. Thereby, the rotary actuators 178, 180 move upand down with the vertical actuator 148 and their motors 182, 184 arepowered by flexible electrical cables. The actuators 178, 180 can pivotabout the guide rods 192, 194 with guide pins extending through arcuateslots 196, 198 in the motor carriage 190 to allow servicing andinstallation of the belts but during operation the actuators 178, 180are coupled together by a tightenable tension rod 199 so their beltsshare the tension. The pulleys and belts could be replaced by othertypes rotary members such as gears intermeshed with each other.

The two coaxial rotary drive shafts 28, 30 allow nearly arbitrary motionof the magnetron about the back of the target. If the inner rotary shaft28 is held stationary, the 1:1 gear ratio of the described embodimentproduces a nearly parabolic repetitive scan path with a single lobe. Ifthe inner and outer rotary shafts 28, 30 rotate together in synchronism,the magnetron traces a circular path. The radius of rotation dependsupon the phase difference between the rotations of the two rotary shafts28, 30. This operation may be useful for some types of highly ionizedsputtering from refractory targets such as tantalum in which the outerperiphery is the primary sputtering area but the inner portion needs tobe cleaned of redeposited material. During the sputter deposition, thephase is selected to position the magnetron near the periphery. Duringthe center cleaning, the phase is adjusted to position the magnetronnear the center.

If the two rotary shafts 28, 30 rotate at different rates, a morecomplicated scan pattern results, similar to a planetary pattern butmore generally defined as an epicyclic pattern. Variations in thedifference of rotation rates changes the number of lobes. However, therotation rates need not be constant over a scan period. For example, anadvantageous scan pattern for sputter depositing a copper seed layer isillustrated in the map of FIG. 5. The seed layer to be deposited isrelatively thin so the entire scan for the deposition may take only afew seconds in comparison to a typical magnetron rotation rate of about60 rpm (1 sec per rotation). Due to both geometrical effects anddiffusion of sputtered ions, most of the sputtering should be performednear the target periphery at a fairly constant though slightlydecreasing radius. However, in the middle of the scan, the magnetron isscanned near the target center to even erosion and reduce radialanisotropy as well as to clean the target center of redepositedsputtered material. Thereafter, the magnetron is again scanned near thetarget periphery. Another scan pattern illustrated in the map of FIG. 6includes one or more generally circular passes near the target peripheryabout the target center and two smaller circular or possibly oval orelliptical passes mirrored about a target diameter and emphasizingcenter sputtering.

Another embodiment replaces the planetary gear mechanism with a frog-legmechanism 210 illustrated in a partially sectioned plan view in FIG. 7and which is similar to that disclosed by Miller et al. in the abovecited application. A first inner arm 212 is fixed to the bottom of thetubular outer rotary shaft 28 and a second inner arm 214 is fixed to thebottom of the inner rotary shaft 30. A first pivot joint 216 pivotallyconnects the first inner arm 212 to a first outer arm 218 and a secondpivot joint 220 pivotally connects the second inner arm 214 to a secondouter arm 222. In this embodiment, a third pivot joint 224 pivotallyconnects the first and second outer arms 218, 222 and generally supportsthe magnetron 42 through a mount.

As the rotary shafts 28, 30 rotate in opposite directions, the frog-legmechanism 210 projects or retracts the magnetron 42 relative to thecentral axis 14. As the rotary shafts 28, 30 rotate in the samedirection, the frog-leg mechanism 210 rotates the magnetron 42 about thecentral axis 14. Clearly the radial and azimuthal motions can becombined by variable differential control of the two rotary shafts 28,30. If the magnetron 42 is circular, it may be mounted on one or theother of the arms 218, 222 while producing the same magnetic fielddistribution at any radius. If the magnetron 42 is arc shaped orotherwise non-circular, means are available either to vary theorientation across the radial range or to maintain it across the radialrange, such as an intermediate mount rotatably coupled at differentpoints to the arms 218, 222 and replacing the simple joint 224.

The coaxial rotary shafts 28, 30 of the two described embodimentsrequire synchronized control of their rotational movements because theradial and circumferential positioning of the magnetron depend upon bothof their rotational rates. First of all, at the start up of the actuatorsystem 144, the two rotary actuators 178, 180 need to be homed by theelectronic controller. Referring the schematic diagram of FIG. 8, ahoming system 228 can include a first polarized reflector 230 attachedto the top of the inner arm 122 of FIG. 3 at its outer extent and asecond polarized reflector 232 attached to the top of the outer arm 116at its outer extent near the magnetron 42. First and second opticalemitter/sensors 234, 236 pierce the reservoir lid 106 and are placed atradial positions relative to the central axis 14 corresponding to theradius of the first reflector 230 and the radius of the second reflector232 when the magnetron 102 is at its maximum radius. That is, the radiusof the second optical emitter/sensor 236 equals the sum of the distancebetween the central axis 14 and the center of the follower shaft 118 andthe distance between the center of the follower shaft 118 and theposition of the second optical emitter/sensor 236 on the outer arm 116.Each emitter/sensor 234, 236 emits a collimated polarized beam anddetects when the beam is reflected from the respective polarizedreflector 230, 232 positioned directly under the emitter/sensor 234,236. The polarizations of the collimated beams and of the reflectors230, 232 are matched so that a regular or shiny metal surface is muchless effective at reflecting the collimated beam than the reflectors230, 232. Advantageously, the sensors employ polarization filters topass only the polarization of the associated homing beam. Crosspolarization between the two homing beams prevents the incorrectreflector 230, 232 from being detected. The polarizations may be twoperpendicular linear polarizations. Quarter-wave plates may beadvantageously used. Alternatively, two magnetic sensors may detect orinteract with magnets mounted on the two arms 116, 122. Conveniently,the sensor positions are aligned along a common radius of the target.

In the homing operation prior to production operation, a controller 238,which maybe part of chamber controller 88 of FIG. 1, controls the firstrotary motor 184 to cause the outer rotary shaft 230 to slowly rotatethe inner arm 122 until the controller 238 detects that the firstreflector 230 is under the first emitter/sensor 234. The controller 238then stops the outer rotary shaft 230 and controls the second rotarymotor 182 to cause the inner rotary shaft 30 to slowly rotate the sungear 126 and hence the outer arm 116 until the controller 238 detectsthat the second reflector 232 is under the second emitter/sensor 236.The thus established positions of the inner and outer arms 122, 116 andassociated rotary motors 182, 184 are the home positions and thecontroller 238 must thereafter control the rotary motors 182, 184 insynchronism to effect the desired magnetron path. Any belt slippage ormissed control periods during operation would degrade the synchronismand require rehoming. The controller 238 additionally controls the motor146 for the vertical actuator.

Another rotary drive mechanism 240 schematically illustrated in thesectioned side view of FIG. 9 includes a ring gear 242 arranged aroundthe central axis 14 and having upper and lower internally toothedannular surfaces 244, 246. The outer rotary motor rotates the ring gear242 about the central axis 14. At least one upper idler gear 248 rotateson a respective shaft 250 attached to an epicyclic carrier 252 andextending parallel to but separated from the central axis 14 and couplesthe rotation of the ring gear 242 to an upper sun gear 254 fixed to anupper end of the inner rotary shaft 28. The shaft 250 of the epicycliccarrier 252 is connected through a fork structure to an input shaft 256extending along the central axis 14. The inner rotary motor is connectedto the input shaft 256 and rotates it and the upper idler gear 248 aboutthe central axis 14 to orbit it and the upper idler gear 248 orbit aboutthe central axis 14. The upper idler gear 248 also couples the rotationof the epicyclic carrier 252 to the upper sun gear 254 and thence to theinner rotary shaft 28. Similarly, at least one lower idler gear 258rotates on a respective fixed shaft 260 and couples the rotation of thering gear 242 to a lower sun gear 262 fixed to the outer rotary shaft30. There maybe a single upper idler gear 248 and a single lower idlergear 258; however, two or three of each provide a more mechanicallyrobust system. Either the epicyclic mechanism 40 of FIG. 3 or thefrog-leg mechanism 210 may be connected to the lower ends of the rotaryshafts 28, 30 to scan the magnetron 42 in a generalized epicyclicpattern.

The gear system of FIG. 9 can be modified by fixing the ring gear 242 tothe outer rotary shaft 30 but a two-stage idler should replace the otheridler gear 248 to maintain the same rotary directions. It is alsoappreciated that with suitable redesign, the orbiting and rotating idlergear 248 may couple the ring gear 2442 to the outer rotary shaft 30.

In typical operation assuming that the epicyclic carrier 252 isstationary, the principal circumferential motion of the magnetron iscontrolled by the rotation of the ring gear 242 through the upper andlower sun gears 254, 262 On the other hand, the radial motion of themagnetron is controlled by epicyclic carrier 252. That is, the epicycliccarrier 252 determines the phase between the rotary shafts 28, 30. Theresult is a differential drive mechanism in which the rotary motion ismostly decoupled from the radial motion. The decoupling is mostpronounced in the frog-leg mechanism for which the position of theepicyclic carrier 252 has a substantially one-to-one correspondence tothe radial position of the magnetron since the frog-leg mechanism limitsthe phase difference between the rotary shafts 28, 30. However, in theepicyclic mechanism the direction of the radial position of themagnetron is a repeating function of the cumulative rotation of theepicyclic carrier 252 but the differential drive may be limited tofinite range. In any case, the ring-gear design removes the requirementfor synchronized drive motors.

The schematically illustrated actuator of FIG. 9 could be incorporatedinside the vertically movable frame of 156 of FIG. 2 to provide thedesirable vertical movement of the magnetron.

Other differential drive mechanisms are described in the parentapplication published as US patent application publication 2006/0076232.

The invention thus provides a nearly arbitrary scanning pattern of themagnetron about the back of sputtering target. Further, the scanningpatterns maybe varied by software control of the motors driving therotary shafts without the need to substitute gears or support arms. Thegenerality is available with a modest increase in complexity of themechanical system.

1. A magnetron actuator configured to rotate a magnetron in a fluidreservoir at a back of a sputtering target in a plasma sputter chamber,comprising: first and second separately rotatable shafts extending alongan axis and passing from an interior of the reservoir to an exteriorthereof and including respective fluid seals; first and second motorsdisposed externally of the reservoir and coupled to the two shafts; anda mechanical system coupled to the first and second shafts andsupporting a mount for supporting the magnetron, wherein rotations ofthe first and second shaft are capable of causing the mount to moveradially and circumferentially of the axis.
 2. The actuator of claim 1,wherein the mechanical system includes a planetary gear mechanism. 3.The actuator of claim 1, wherein the planetary gear mechanism includes:a sun gear fixed to the first shaft; a first arm fixed to the secondshaft; a follower gear rotatably supported on the first arm androtationally coupled to the sun gear; and a second arm rotated by thefollower gear and including the mount.
 4. The actuator of claim 3,wherein a gear ratio between the sun and follower gears is 1:1.
 5. Theactuator of claim 1, wherein the mechanical system includes a frog-legstructure.
 6. The actuator of claim 5, wherein the frog-leg structureincludes: a first arm fixed to the first shaft; a second arm fixed tothe second shaft; a third arm rotatably coupled to the first arm; and afourth arm rotatably coupled to the second arm; wherein the mount iscoupled between the third and fourth arms.
 7. The actuator of claim 1,further including: a first rotary member fixed to the first shaftexternal to the reservoir and coupled to the first motor; and a secondrotary member fixed to the second shaft external to the reservoir andcoupled to the second motor.
 8. The actuator of claim 1, wherein themechanical system includes: a first sun gear connected to the firstshaft; a second sun gear connected to the second shaft; a ring gearcoupled to the first motor; at least one first idler gear coupling thering gear to the first sun gear and rotatably movable by the secondmotor about the axis; and at least one second idler gear coupling thering gear to the second sun gear.
 9. The actuator of claim 8, whereinthe at least one second idler gear rotates on a respective stationaryidler axis.
 10. The actuator of claim 1, further including a verticalactuator disposed external to the reservoir moving the first and secondshafts along the axis.
 11. The actuator of claim 1, further includingtwo sensors disposed at different radii capable of detecting angularpositions of the two shafts and rotating members connected thereto. 12.A magnetron actuator configured to move a magnetron at a back of asputtering target in a plasma sputter chamber, comprising: first andsecond rotary shafts extending parallel to a central axis and separatelyrotatable; first and second motors coupled to the shaft; a supportmember supporting the first and second shafts and the first and secondmotors and movable along the axis; a vertical actuator coupled to themovable member to move it along the axis relative to the target; and amechanical system coupled to the first and second shafts, supporting amount for supporting the magnetron, and capable of moving the mountsazimuthally and radially of the central axis.
 13. The magnetron actuatorof claim 12, wherein the rotary shafts are coaxial about the centralaxis.
 14. The magnetron actuator of claim 12, wherein the mechanicalsystem includes a planetary gear mechanism.
 15. The magnetron actuatorof claim 12, wherein the mechanical system includes a frog-legmechanism.
 16. The magnetron actuator of claim 12, wherein the rotaryshafts are coaxial along the axis and further comprising; a ring gearcoupled to the first rotary shaft and rotated by the first motor; anidler gear rotating on an idler shaft offset from the axis and coupledbetween the ring gear and the second rotary shaft, wherein the secondmotor rotates the idler shaft about the axis.
 17. A plasma sputterchamber, comprising: a vacuum chamber arranged around a central axis andhaving a pedestal therein for supporting a substrate to be plasmaprocessed; a target sealed to a side of the vacuum chamber in oppositionto the pedestal; a liquid reservoir disposed on a side of the targetopposite the pedestal; first and second separately rotatable shaftsextending along the central axis and passing from an interior of thereservoir to an exterior thereof; first and second motors disposedexternally of the reservoir and coupled to the two shafts; and amechanical system coupled to the first and second shafts and supportingthe magnetron, wherein the first and second shaft are capable of causingthe magnetron to move radially and circumferentially of the central axisin a scan path determined by the rotations of both the first and secondshafts.
 18. The chamber of claim 17, wherein the mechanical systemincludes: a sun gear fixed to the first shaft; a first arm fixed to thesecond shaft; a follower gear rotatably supported on the first arm androtationally coupled to the sun gear; and a second arm rotated by thefollower gear and including the mount.
 19. The chamber of claim 17,wherein the mechanical system includes: a first arm fixed to the firstshaft; a second arm fixed to the second shaft; a third arm rotatablycoupled to the first arm; and a fourth arm rotatably coupled to thesecond arm; wherein the mount is coupled between the third and fourtharms.
 20. The chamber of claim 17, and further comprising: a sun gearconnected to the first shaft; a ring gear rotatable about the centralaxis by the first motor and rotatably coupled to the second shaft; andan idler gear rotatable about an idler axis offset from the centralaxis, rotatably coupling the ring gear to the sun gear, and rotatable bythe second motor about the central axis.
 21. A homing device for arotating magnetron including an inner arm pivotable about a central axisand an outer arm pivotable about an offset axis on the inner arm,comprising: a first reflector affixed to the inner arm; a first lightemitter configured to irradiate the first reflector with a first lightbeam; a first light detector detecting light of the first light beamreflected from the first reflector; a second reflector affixed to theouter arm; a second light emitter configured to irradiate the secondreflector with a second light beam; and a second light detectordetecting light of the second light beam reflected from the secondreflector.
 22. The homing device of claim 21, wherein the first lightbeam has a first polarization and the second light beam has a secondpolarization different from the first polarization.
 23. The homingdevice of claim 21, wherein the first polarization is a linearpolarization and the second polarization is a liner polarizationperpendicular to the first polarization.
 24. The homing device of claim21, wherein the first emitter, first reflector, and first light detectorare disposed at a first radius from the central axis, wherein the secondreflector is disposed at a second radius from the central axis when theouter arm is maximally extended from the central axis and the secondemitter and second light detector are disposed at the second radius fromthe central axis.